by Lindsay H. Jones, USA TODAY Sports

by Lindsay H. Jones, USA TODAY Sports

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - So which is it: Is Peyton Manning the leading candidate for MVP, or is he an over-the-hill quarterback who has lost his fastball?

From game to game, quarter to quarter and even throw to throw, Manning's arm strength and the amount of wobble in his passes have been dissected and analyzed.

He's great! He's toast! Look at that accuracy! Whoa, now that was a duck!

Never was the Manning roller coaster more acute than in the Broncos' 35-28 win vs. the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium, where the narrative that Manning had lost his arm strength gained traction as he threw two first-half interceptions, with both turnovers leading to Chiefs touchdowns and a 21-14 halftime lead for Kansas City.

Then came the third quarter.

Manning slung completions of 20 yards and 37 yards on the first drive after halftime, the second long throw a dart to Eric Decker, who blew past two Chiefs defensive backs and caught the pass in stride in the end zone - the second of his four touchdown catches. On 80-, 92- and 95-yard TD drives in the third and early fourth quarters, in which the Broncos erased the Chiefs' lead, there was little about Manning to criticize.

Not that his teammates ever were concerned. Receiver Andre Caldwell watched plenty of the coverage about Manning's diminishing arm strength in the six days after the Broncos lost to the New England Patriots on a frigid night in Foxborough, Mass. Manning had a season-low 150 passing yards and completed 52.8% of his passes in that game.

He threw for 403 yards and five touchdowns Sunday.

"I laugh at it, because I know he can do it," Caldwell said. "I know he can make any throw on the field. He does it all the time in practice, and he did it here tonight. It'll shut them up until we have to play in the cold. If he plays like that in a cold-weather game, they'll be quiet."

Manning could get that chance quickly, with temperatures expected to be below freezing for much of the next week in Denver, including Sunday when the Broncos host the Tennessee Titans.

Manning and the Broncos (10-2) head into that game with a one-game lead on the rest of the AFC in the race for the No. 1 seed and with what basically amounts to a two-game lead over the Chiefs in the AFC West. Denver completed a season sweep of the Chiefs, two weeks after winning the teams' first matchup in Denver.

Sunday's game was markedly closer, thanks to Manning's two first-half interceptions, an improved Chiefs running game and a strong performance from Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith, who nearly led a game-tying drive in the game's final minutes.

Smith threw an interception on the Chiefs' first possession but was very good for the rest of the game. He was elusive on his feet in rushing four times for 46 yards, threw two impressive touchdown passes in the first half and made several gusty throws in the failed comeback attempt, none better than the third-and-long prayer from his end zone after the two-minute warning that saved a desperation drive.

But Smith's final pass, on fourth down from Denver's 13-yard line, was batted away in the end zone to seal Kansas City's third consecutive loss. The Chiefs have not won since their bye week and have allowed 103 points in the losses, two to Denver and one to the San Diego Chargers.

Barring an epic collapse, the Chiefs (9-3) should make the playoffs, likely as the No. 5 seed.

"It's important we get ourselves back and ready to go and finish the season like we're capable of," coach Andy Reid said. "I know our guys - coaches and players - will do that."